wild men of the woods
by drrfan
Summary: Doggett and Reyes go big foot hunting in the oregon mountains.


Title: Wild men of the woods Author: Louise & Clare write the x files.  
Summary: A frightening experience for Doggett and Reyes. / Doggett and Reyes go camping as part of an investigation. 

Author's notes: We always wanted to see Doggett and Reyes go camping as part of an investigation, so we decided to write one, with a little horror and humour. To Robert and Annabeth, Thank you so much for all the effort you put into the show, we feel that the show could have achieved so much more, had you both been given the chance to continue.

FBI Head Quarters Washington DC The phone rang just as Agent Reyes stepped into the office for another gruelling day of scanning previous unsolved case files. Glad to be back at work after Mulder's ordeal with the military, she found John sitting on his desk completely amused at the voice on the other end of the phone.

"What's so funny John?" Monica asked, as John set down the receiver of the phone with a grin.  
"We got an x file" he laughed "Wow. I've never seen you so eager to work on a Friday" "Kursh wants to see us right away, better go" he suggested.

It had been three weeks since they had cleared up the whole Mulder and Scully lark, as Dana Scully continued her teaching at Quantico, and Mulder was in the clear of the Knowle Roarer murder charge against him. He was now unemployed, but better to be sitting at home having time on his hands, than lying in a cemetery as worm food", he thought. It had crossed his mind about continuing the legacy of the gunmen, on the other hand, he had already been in enough trouble with the bureau, and opted for the changed Fox Mulder personality.

Kursh greeted the agents as they approached the door.  
"Please take a seat agents" he said as they entered the superior's office; he then continued.  
"Last week, a man went missing in Oregon, he had been camping in the woods; two days ago, they found his mutilated body, along with his camera and hi-tech equipment, Local authorities have requested the Bureau's help in the investigation, and this case might be right up your alley agents"

Kursh said no more, as he handed the photos and a file over to agent Reyes. She studied them attentively and was taken back by the blurred image that was the camera's main capture. It appeared to be a photo of a large hairy creature that was no resemblance to neither animal nor human; most likely taken by the victim seconds before he died. The second was of a Deceased almost unrecognisable male that a pathologist had taken Whilst conducting the autopsy. The third; of a footprint cast That had been taken approximately inches away from the discovery Of the body.

"Good god" Reyes said in disbelief and handed the file and Photos to agent Doggett. Doggett glanced at the photos up and Down, and looked back toward Kursh.

"I'd like you both in Oregon as soon as possible agents. And You might want to consider hiking equipment"  
"Wait, does that mean we're going camping sir?" Doggett asked Amused.  
"It means that you'll be investigating the forests and woods, And don't think of it as a vacation, I expect a good and Thorough investigation" Kursh stated.  
"Then we'll get right on it sir" Doggett said as he and his Partner exited the office.

"Well I guess I gotta go and buy a tent" Reyes giggled as they Approached the parking garage.  
"No need, I got a two room dome tent, and besides it will only Be for a couple of hours; a night at the most" Doggett answered "But isn't that against bureau policies, two agents sleeping Together"  
"Not unless we sleep in the same sleeping bag" he answered. John looked at his partner with a questioning gaze as they both Stood outside the car, and now standing face to face.  
"Why, are you hoping to get lucky agent Reyes?" Monica's jaw Dropped and she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment, she Fumbled for words but nothing came out.  
"I didn't mean it like that!" she laughed "Just kidding Mon; you're so gullible sometimes" he said as she Whacked him over the head with the case file.  
"Pick ya up in half an hour?" he asked rubbing his neck "Yeah, and don't be late!"

They were almost ten minutes away from Jefferson county, and Just coming off the Santium highway, and then approaching Hwy 26. When they arrived at Jefferson, they were met by Sheriff Miller, Who later introduced himself as Jake.

"So how's my buddie Alvin doing these days?" Miller asked Doggett and Reyes looked at each other in amazement.  
"You know Kursh?" Doggett asked "Sure, he and I used to go camping out here in the woods; we Would pack our things, and spend the whole weekend searching for Big foot"  
"So Kursh believes in Big Foot" Doggett stated fascinated.

After taking the agents step by step through the investigation, And showing them the hair fibres that the pathologist had taken From the victims' corpse, they needed to investigate the forest Further, in order to find the remaining clothing of the victim, For further analysis.

Local law enforcement had dismissed the idea of a Sasquatch, and Continued to proceed with the police report stating that it was An act of nature, and that the victim (Ray Reynolds) had died as A result of an animal attack.  
Local residents living in Jefferson, had demanded an Investigation into the death of the victim after releasing Pictures and voice Recordings of what they claimed to be a Sasquatch.  
Sheriff Miller had previously heard of the X files division Back in Washington, and decided they needed a little help in Finding more evidence that supported the theory of the Sasquatch.

Oregon Forestry

After arriving at the location in which they would be staying, and hearing all the stories about Kursh's past, they unloaded their camping gear from the Sheriff's truck. Miller would stay to investigate for a few hours, but after dark, they were on their own.

"So Mon, do you believe in big foot, or the yeti?" John asked whilst unloading his stuff.  
"Well yeah John, I guess I do" Monica answered, expecting criticism.  
John laughed out aloud, and shook his head at her response; waiting for her to defend her far fetched beliefs.

"Laugh all you want, but logically my theory about this is not that much in the way of out there John. This could be a disfigured animal to an uncivilized man. Whilst sceptics Interpret the sightings as fascination with the wild that Persists in the modern world and sense that civilization has Penetrated all areas of the world, except for a few pockets of Wilderness and mystery. Many writers propose that an undiscovered species of ape or a last survival of Neanderthal man, may explain the sightings; others go so far as to link them with extraterrestrial beings. Then non believers once again, maintain that without physical evidence, the burden of proof remains with the "Big-Foot buffs" BUT! Why would scientist find it hard to believe, when they already preach evolution?"

"Wow Mon, that's pretty impressive. You have a good point and so I'm not gonna argue" was all that John could say. She had really got him thinking, and instead of discrediting her theory, he allowed himself to agree; fearing her she would have a common sense answer even if he decide to give another opinion.  
"I did research, back in collage" she smirked.  
"Were you interested in this kind of thing back then?" he asked while pitching the tent.  
"Yeah, I guess I was the curious one of my class.

After a few hours of searching the woods, darkness had already began seeping through the clouds, and Miller decided to head back, leaving Doggett and Reyes to continue their investigation into the morning.

"Well fire's lit" he said sitting down next to his partner.  
"John, I hate to tell you this, but you have no eyebrows" she rolled with laughter as John put his hand to his head, then examining his hand and finding black ash.  
"Oh crap, must have been that gasoline I used to start the damn thing, and would ya stop laughing, I'm gonna look like a freak"  
"Here, let me see" she put her hand up to his face and gently wiped the ash away from his head with her thumb. He felt relaxed as she lingered longer than she should have.  
"So what's the damage?" he asked braking the moment "Actually it's not all that bad. John, are you afraid of me or something"  
"What makes ya think that?" he asked still realizing how blunt her question was.  
"It's just that you seem a little jumpy"

John reached out and took her hand in his, gently caressing the fine lines through her palm. He was never the type of guy to talk about his feelings, or even show any affection for that matter; instead he opted for a penetrating gaze that said it all. They both broke the moment; as a loud groaning noise came from the trees.

"What the hell was that?" Monica yelled. They retrieved their guns from their holsters, and headed toward the trees. The beams from their flashlights flickered through the trees, as they half ran to catch a glimpse of what was lurking in the woods.  
But the farther they got into the trees, the sound faded.

Realizing that there was nothing they could do until sunrise, they walked in silence back to the tent.  
"Go and get some sleep Monica, I'll stay guard, it's gonna be a long day tomorrow" John touched her arm gently, not forgetting her question earlier.  
"No. I'm staying right here with you, if that thing comes back, we'll stand more of a chance if we're together"

As the sun rose in the morning, John woke up outside the tent with his partner sleeping between his legs. She stirred and then lifted her head.  
"Good morning sunshine, sleep well?" he asked still baffled at how she had wiggled her way there without him noticing.  
"Like a baby. How about you?" she asked stretching her arms.  
"Well I was nice and warm. Thanks Mon"  
"For what, the cuddle or the heat?" she asked amused.  
"For both" he answered smiling.

after making breakfast, they made their way to a nearby stream to freshen up.  
After cleaning up, they decided to take a walk through the woodland that stood just yards from their tent.

Pushing snapping twigs from their faces they came to a halt, when they heard a vehicle approaching; it was Miller, he was coming for an update on their investigation.

Agents Doggett and Reyes stepped out of the wooded area and onto the narrow dirt road to greet the sheriff. Miller stepped out of his truck, as did his passenger, a male in his thirties. John had an urge to laugh at what the man wore; Rambo had nothing on him, the guy was built like a tank.

"So how was your night?" Miller asked. But before John and Monica had a chance to answer, Miller introduced his company.  
"This is spunky" Miller said, as the guy stepped forward to shake both their hands.  
Monica had begun chewing her nail to restrain herself from laughing at the man's nickname. John and Monica later introduced themselves, and informed the sheriff about the noise they had heard the night before.

"Well it's a good thing that you guys have company, Spunky wanted to come out here and help you with the investigation; he knows the forest like the back of his hand, and I thought that you could use his Sasquatch expertise" Miller said as he sat down on the grass with the agents. Meanwhile their new company, struggled with his camping gear, and swore loudly when the rod of his tent collapsed.

John nodded and smiled at miller, he had trouble accepting that people actually did this for a living.

Monica's legs struggled to carry her as they walked through the forest. It bothered her about dealing with a situation that they weren't prepared for; however, she relished the thought that her partner and friend John, was at her side should anything go wrong.

John came to halt in his hike as he spotted something on the ground. Footprints; he knelt down on the ground to study them as the others observed on foot. Being a down right sceptic, he would have always come up with a theory that was logical, but seeing this, he had no idea where to begin. Knowing that something was lurking out there in the woods that were almost impossible to find.

It had crossed his mind on numerous occasions about it being staged, for people to believe in the Big-Foot myth. But after spotting the indent of the prints and the photos in which the victim was half eaten, he decided not to give an opinion, truth is he didn't have one.

Spunky stared at the footprints long enough to get the others attention. Although this was nothing new to him, it bothered him that this legend had come so close to home. "Mon, can we get some kind of measurement here?" John asked wanting to dot down every piece of evidence that they would find.  
"16 1/2 x 6 1/2 INS. I've seen these before" Spunky stated as Monica fished the tape out of her pocket to confirm Spunkys' word.  
"Am I right?" He questioned as John passed the tape back to his partner.  
"Absolutely" replied Monica "you've obviously seen a lot of these prints"

After an hour of searching the woods, sheriff miller made his way back to his truck and headed for home. Meanwhile spunky lead both agents Deeper into the forest where they soon discovered more tracks.

"I think you both need to get over here and take a look at these prints, there seems to be a huge discrepancy in width, length and Indentation" warned Monica, as she continued measuring the prints.  
"I've been through these woods hundreds of times and never have I found two sets of footprints before. This is great news for Science" Spunky announced "Yeah, and bad news for us, for all we know, there could be a god damn family lurking out here, we're not exactly the Henderson's and they're not likely to greet us with open arms." John answered in a pissed off tone.

John stayed quiet all the way back to the tent. It angered him that they hadn't turned up anything, but, a few footprints.

"So Spunky, you are a Sasquatch expert right?" John asked whilst sipping his beer.  
"Well it depends on how you look at it. I mean, I don't get paid, and the footage I have taken in the past I tend to kind of sell on the internet and to documentaries back in England; however don't discredit my knowledge, because I have studied this creature for a long time now, and I can tell you it is for real."

John and Monica looked at each other, they didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "My god we're stuck here with a fruitcake" John thought.  
"So what about you guy's Miller told me you work on solving paranormal cases"  
"Yeah, we do. But this is the first time we've been big foot hunting, and I hope that It'll be the last" Monica replied as she opened the barrel of her gun checking her ammunition.  
"So have you seen this yeti creature spunky?" Doggett once again asked.  
"Wild man of the woods. No I haven't come face to face with it if that's what you're asking. But I have found enough evidence to support its existence."

The fire was now roaring with heat, and all three of them had a subtle glow as the temperature rose gradually in the past two hours or so. It was now past ten, and Doggett and Reyes decided to call it a night. The clouds that were threatening to give rain had now begun evaporating, and tiny droplets of water splashed frequently; converting into a storm.

Once inside the tent, John unzipped the sleeping quarters that separated them, and they were now laying merely inches from each other.  
"Are ya warm enough Mon"  
"Yeah I'm fine. What about you"  
"I'm good"  
There was an awkward silence between them, and john fought hard to say something.  
"Mon, about last night, I hope you didn't think that I was pushing you away. I care about you a lot, and I would never do anything to hurt ya"

John raised his hand up to her face quick enough to wipe a tear that had escaped down her face. He had touched her heart, and he truly meant it. Using his thumb he gently caressed her cheek before leaning in to kiss her slowly. Their lips briefly touched, when they heard giggling that could only be the yeti expert.  
Spunky lay in his tent giggling to himself.

"Maybe I should join the bureau , get myself a paying job, a partner that will eventually be my girlfriend, and then a lot of sex to go with it" spunky said aloud.  
Early into the morning, the skies lit up like an air show; and the thunder shook the ground that stood beneath them. Monica buried her head into John's chest as she continued to vibrate with the timing of the storm.  
"God, I hate thunderstorms. "You women are not good campers, are ya?" John asked as he hugged her tighter. "No. we're not" replied Monica.  
"Come on it's almost four, we should at least try and get some sleep" John reminded, as he turned on to his side, still not letting go of his partner.

At Seven am, both agents awoke to hear the whistling of a pot of tea that spunky had brewed ready for them. They unzipped their tent climbed out and then planned the day ahead. They had all decided to venture further into the forest that day, in hope of finding sufficient evidence that the so called wild man of the woods existed. They had been walking for nearly two hours when they came across the mutilated corps of a young brown bear.

"Oh my god. This is something that I have never seen. Brown bears are the largest of the eight bear species. Although this is a young male, it is very unlikely that this was attacked by ordinary wildlife. And look at that over there, the poor creature seems to have struggled, his neck has been broken."

As Spunky continued to point at more evidence, both Monica and John, examined the large but decaying creature.  
They discovered that the bear's leg had been pulled from the hip, and would have taken incredible strength to do so.  
Also there were large bite marks where the flesh had been stripped from the bone.

"I am no dentist, said Monica, but these bite marks are more like a primates indent. Look here; you can see the impression of the incisors, they are much larger than our own, not to mention the canine indention"  
"Look Mon there is no way you or him are going to make me believe that some giant ape did this, when there are so many other preditors running wild out here. I mean what about a bears incisors. Isn't it possible that this animal was attacked and killed by one of his own"  
"Of course it's possible.

Spunky was about to argue his point when Monica interrupted , she suggested that they camp there that night, possibly in a tree so that if the creature should return to finish what was left of the bear their questions would at last be answered.

"This is dangerous agent Reyes. We don't have any water or food, and what about shelter? I mean if we see a repeat of last nights storm we could get sick, or even killed." Spunky announced; as he became almost breathless trying to state a point.  
"I hate to side with him Mon, but he does have a point. I think we should head back to the tents." "Yeah I guess you're right. I should have thought of that"

Once back at their camp site, they relit the fire and made dinner. It wasn't much of a dinner, but given that they hadn't eaten in almost sixteen hours, it was much appreciated. John and Spunky gathered the fire wood that they had spotted on their walk back. They had stacked the fire high to make it last the night, whilst Monica brewed the tea.

Monica suddenly became more aware that her relationship with her partner was now in a very awkward situation. Was it her that was making too much of it? Or was John now regretting that it ever happened? It wasn't even a kiss, but the gesture was there, and on both parts for that matter.

She felt that John was trying to dismiss her theories and contributions to the investigation. Every comment she added, he would ignore her, or come up with an answer to shut her mouth completely. This was something that they would have to deal with over the coming hours. Until then she would stay focussed on the investigation.

John frequently glanced at his partner while they sat directly opposite one another. She had been quiet and very deep in thought. They rarely spoke two words, and it bothered him that there was uneasiness between them. Truth his he cared for her, too much to allow her to love him.

John crawled into the tent in hope of finding some rest. He had barely had a good night sleep in almost 24 hours. He unzipped the sleeping quarters to glance at Monica. She had been sleeping for quite some time now, and he decided to leave her be;he would talk to her in the morning.

John's sleep was soon interrupted when he heard noises coming from the forest. It was fast approaching the camp site where he,  
Monica and Spunky were staying. John quickly got to his feet and dashed to wake Monica and Spunky. Monica sprung from her sleeping bag, she too had heard the noise, and panicked when John yelled at her to hurry.

"We need to get somewhere safe we need to get up high" Monica shouted as she ran in the direction of a cedar tree. "Over here" shouted Spunky as he began his descent. Climbing high until he found a safe spot to rest. He was then joined by the two Agent's who forced their way up bracing the uncomfortable situation.

They sat listening as the sound of the creature drew closer. Forcing themselves to hold still, they held a breath as they finally caught their first glimpse of what Spunky preferred to call; (the Wild man of the woods.)

The odour that had threatened to expose itself had. It had become unbearable, as the creature appeared through the trees, and had now began tearing through their campsite. John struggled to cover his ears as the screeching sound invaded the woodland.

Although not having a clear shot at the animal, Monica struggled to keep her weapon in one hand, and to cling on to the unsteady branch that would have give way at any moment. She forced herself way up high to avoid being spotted by the unearthly creature.  
"John, we need to be covered by something. It's gonna see us." She whispered as the creature continued to grunt.  
"Just hold still Monica"  
"John it's gonna smell us. It's an animal, just as WE smell IT; IT can smell us."

John held his partner tight around the waist. Struggling to breathe enough oxygen in to keep his heart going, he held on for dear life, and prayed for safety to whoever would listen.  
Spunky reached for another branch as the branch he sat on creaked and shook with the weight it held.

But Something had distracted the animal; the shuffling in the large cedar, had caught the ape man's attention, and it screeched it's way through the forest, until it spotted what it had suspected. There were intruders in its territory, just as the first victim had been.

Monica yelled when she spotted shuffling at the core of the tree. She now knew that whatever it was that was pursuing them; would find them, and there was no escape.  
"Oh god, John it's spotted us."

John fired three shots at the base of the tree; but the creature continued to drown the noise of the woods with its growling. John struggled to hold on as he heard the snapping of a falling branch, he had began slipping; he caught himself just in time, as spunky broke his fall, and hit the now drenched soil.

Spunkys screams continued to echo, as the entity had now found its prey. John and Monica hurdled together; as the torture began on the friend they had just got to know.  
"Oh god. John cried. "Mon we have to get help, we have to get out of here."

John had begun his ascent down the tree; he held Monica's hand tightly as she grizzled in shock at what had taken place. They had investigated numerous x files before, but unlike this one, there had never been such disturbance.  
John caught Monica, as she leapt out of the tree. Running faster than they ever had before, they came to a halt.

"John we have no idea of where to run. It's at least a twenty minute drive from the county to this place. We might be venturing further into the forest"  
"So what do ya suggest we do? Stay here and risk being eaten? You surprise me Mon; you always come up with a stupid god damn idea"

Monica forced herself not to cry harder than she already was, and so she lowered her head. John had clearly overstepped the mark. They had been assigned to this investigation; neither had particularly asked for it, but given they had just got reassigned to the division, they had no other alternative.  
Monica's anger grew as John's bitter words played back in her head, and so she exploded with fury.

"Then go your own god damn way, and I'll go mine, I can take care of myself" after stating her point, she marched back to where they had just came from. John felt like he had been kicked in the face. The person he cared for most was not going to stay on her own, knowing that there was a predator lurking in the forest; and so he jogged back to catch up with her.

"God Mon, I'm so sorry. I'm an asshole I know. You're right, if we got lost, it would probably take them days to find us"  
"Oh, so now you think that I'm right. Look John, let me make one thing clear to you; if we do end up getting home safe, I'll be on the first flight out to New Orleans, and then you can have another partner; hopefully someone you might actually get along with"

"Monica I don't want another partner. If I doubted your credibility, I wouldn't have asked ya to join me on the x files. It's my god damn mouth; it runs away with me when I get frustrated, please don't take it to heart. I care for you Monica, and I always want you as my partner"

By now, the sun had begun its rising journey, and they had now reached the place where their tents once stood. It had been obliterated; the dome tent that had been their shelter, had been shredded with claw marks, and trampled to the ground. The damage had been worse than expected.

Looking around at the destruction of their camp site, Monica took a seat on the bank, her thoughts went to Spunky; imagining his fear seconds before he met his death.

"It could have been you or me last night. Or worse, us both" she said shaking her head.  
"This thing has to be found John, we can't let this be and head back home. We have to do something"  
"I agree Mon, but if we continue with this investigation, we might not make it back home. We already have enough evidence; I think this is something that would be best left to Miller. He could get an army of cops out here and sweep the woods".

They came to an agreement that they should head out of the forest; grabbing what was left of their belongings, they set out on foot, trying to remember which way they came. They had been walking for quite some time; when they spotted the road they had travelled on to get there.

"Now which way?" John asked as he looked at the two directions either side of him.  
"I'm pretty sure that it was right" Monica answered "How sure"  
"75 sure" she stated trying to convince her partner of her instincts.

John held a firm hand on his partner's arm, as they continued to walk the road into the county. It had felt like hours, and it had only been little over 60 minutes. They finally spotted the first house in sight; and were overjoyed that they had finally made it.

"We need every god damn cop you got, up there Sheriff" John demanded as he and Monica barged into the Sheriff's station.  
"What happened agents, are you hurt? Where's Spunky"  
"He's dead. We were attacked and Spunky was killed" Monica answered. She sobbed as she remembered Spunkys cries for help.  
"There was nothing we could do Sheriff, it tore through the campsite" John explained. "Oh no. I'll get a team of cops right up there"

Miller sat in an emotional state. He couldn't believe that he had lost a friend; someone he had known for years. By now it was early Morning; they needed a lot of force to catch this creature that was threatening the local community.

By the time local law enforcement arrived on the scene, there was no sign of the creature or its presence. Bagging the remains of Spunkys corpse, they discovered more evidence; finger prints that were pressurized into the latest victims' throat.

Monica stood and watched as they continued to search the woods; looking back to her partner who stood just meters away, she forced a smile. After packing away what was left of their camping equipment, they got into the sheriffs' truck, and briefly glanced back to the woods that had been a nightmare over the past few days.

It was time to go home. The Sheriff had arranged for the autopsy report to be sent to the bureau from the pathologist who would be conducting the examination. And then the report for the big boss at the FBI would shortly follow.

Back at DC, John and Monica sat quietly in the basement office. Neither had spoken about the events that had taken place over the past few days, and it had bothered them. Both feared that their relationship was now in awkward situation. John briefly glanced at his partner who sat picking her nails; he knew that if they didn't talk; they never would.

He had to make the first move; and so he got up from his office recliner, and made his way over toward her desk. Staggering his feet, he sat himself down on the desk, and faintly let out a "hmm"

"Mon, I'm sorry I've been acting weird, it's just that-  
"It's ok John, I get it. It should never have happened, it was a mistake"  
"What's a mistake? If ya think that I regret what happened between us, you're wrong"  
"John, I don't want you saying all of this just cause we work together, I'll understand"  
"Monica, I love you, and I should have said this a long time ago, and I know that we met under bad circumstances but I've always felt this way, from the moment I met you, I always knew I could rely on you.

Monica stood from her chair, and met Johns' hands that clasped her own. She was overjoyed at the words she longed to hear. And cried when her thoughts drifted to the tragic case she was assigned years ago, when she first met john. Lightly touching her face, he brought his mouth to her own for a long passionate kiss.

Several months past and there were no sightings or attacks that had been reported from Jefferson County; however, they both knew that what they saw was neither animal nor human. And like the late Spunky had said it may well have been a Wild man of the woods.

THE END

I don't know much about trees. I have never been to oregon and do not know the highways and freeways, So forgive my mistakes if there are any.

I rewrote this story a little bit, so if your familiar with it, it's because i posted it a while back on xfmu.

Let me know if i should keep writing.


End file.
